The Everglades National Park

📍 Everglades National Park, the third largest national park in the United States. It’s also the only subtropical wildlife reserve in North America. 🚗 About 1 hour away from both Miami city center and the airport 👉 Best time to visit: November to April is the dry season, with comfortable weather and active wildlife. The rainy season is hot and humid. 🤗 Although the park covers a large area, there’s not much to do. The scenery is relatively monotonous. It mainly revolves around the two visitor centers in the southern and northern regions. Note that there are no connecting roads between these two visitor centers within the park. If you want to visit both, it’s best to split it into two days. If you only have one day or half a day, it’s recommended to just visit the Shark Valley Visitor Center in the north, mainly to see alligators 🐊 and take an airboat tour. 📍 Shark Valley Visitor Center (North) This is the main area for alligator viewing. There’s only one road connecting the visitor center to the observation tower. ⚠️ Arrive early on weekends and holidays, or you’ll have to park far away and walk in. There are three ways to explore: 1️⃣ Tram Tour: Good for families. Buy tickets at the visitor center in advance. There’s a guide on the tram, and it stops for photos whenever alligators are spotted. We saw dozens of 🐊 on our trip. 2️⃣ Bicycling: Rent a bike at the visitor center. Good if you’re fit. It’s a 15-mile round trip, about 3 hours. ⚠️ There’s no shade along the whole route, so it can be very sunny with lots of bugs. 3️⃣ Walking, not recommended when the weather is hot. 👉 The popular airboat tours are also in this area. The park itself doesn’t operate airboats; you need to book with an outside company in advance. Gator park is recommended, with prices in the range of several tens of dollars. Note that the boats go fast and can be noisy. #USATravel #TravelGuide #SummerVacation #OffTheBeatenPath #TravelInspiration #Miami #Florida